Policies & Practices to Increase Readiness

How to Increase Readiness

Approximately 31% of all 2013 ACT-tested high school graduates met none of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, meaning they were not prepared academically for first-year college courses in English Composition, College Algebra, Biology, and social sciences. Based on decades of ACT research, the following recommendations include steps that states, districts, schools, and classrooms can take to increase student readiness for college‑level work.

State Policy Recommendations

Implementing College and Career Readiness Standards. With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards by 45 states and the District of Columbia, most states have taken a first step in ensuring all students pursue real-world benchmarks for their college or career success. Implementing the standards must now be a catalyst for aligning all aspects of state and local systems to college and career readiness. Promising practice research shows that systemic alignment of key policies and school activities empowers educators to make notable gains in student achievement. An integrated, systemic approach to education delivery is essential for every state and would include the actions outlined here:

Infusing a Culture of Postsecondary Success. An educator’s vision, attitudes, and motivation have a lasting impact on student
achievement. States should support teachers in exposing all high school students, whether they are bound for college or work, to a
rigorous core curriculum aligned with college and career readiness standards. The levels of expectation for college readiness and
workforce training should be comparable in rigor and clarity of purpose because high-quality education or training after high school
is increasingly vital to the success of all students in a rapidly changing world.<

Ensuring Access to Rigorous High School Courses. Having rigorous and aligned standards, coupled with a core curriculum, will
adequately prepare students only if the courses are truly challenging. It is more important for students to take the right kinds of
courses rather than merely the right number of courses. High school students who take four years of rigorous English courses and
three years each of rigorous mathematics, science, and social studies are more likely to graduate ready for credit-bearing first-year
college courses without remediation.

Supporting Early Monitoring and Intervention. Longitudinal data systems enable educators to identify students in need of
academic intervention at an early stage, when problems are still solvable, giving teachers and students more time to strengthen
these skills before graduation. In order for students to plan their high school coursework, age-appropriate career assessment,
exploration, and planning activities that encourage them to consider personally relevant career options should be used regularly.
Empowering teachers and administrators with currently available tools is essential for modern instructional practice to monitor
student achievement against appropriate benchmarks in core academic subjects throughout elementary, middle, and
secondary school.

Setting Clear Performance Standards. In addition to a consistent, rigorous set of essential K–12 content standards, states must
define performance standards so that everyone knows “how good is good enough” for students to have a reasonable chance of
success at college or on the job. Based on decades of student performance data, ACT defines “college readiness” as students
having a 50% chance of earning a B or higher or about a 75% chance of earning a C or higher in first-year college English
Composition, College Algebra, Biology, and an introductory social science course. Longitudinal, real-world data and research on
what constitutes student success are now available to virtually every state and district, as are standards and benchmarks against
which the performance of students and schools can be measured and state progress marked.

Implementing Policies and Practices for Data-Driven Decision Making. Teachers must have access to high-quality, actionable
data that can be used to improve instruction. Absent such data, opinion can overly influence key decisions. To address this
challenge, states have been hard at work developing longitudinal P–16 data systems—this work should continue, but more must be
done. To ensure their students are prepared for the 21st century, states must have systems that allow schools and districts to closely
monitor student performance at every stage of the learning pipeline, from preschool through college. Policies governing teacher and
administrator preparation and professional development must include an emphasis on developing skills to use data appropriately to
improve the practices of teaching and learning for all students, from preschool through college.

District, School, & Classroom Practices

The Path to Readiness: It Takes a System
Research by ACT shows that no single program or isolated reform can be a substitute for a coherent, long-term, systemwide approach
to improving teaching and learning. We all want our students to graduate prepared to take on future opportunities with success. So, what are consistently higher performing schools doing to place more
students on the path to college and career readiness?

The ACT Core Practice™ Framework, built upon the study of more than 550 schools across 20 states, identifies the core practices
that distinguish a higher performing school from its average performing counterparts. ACT studies the practices of those schools and
school systems that have more success in preparing their students for college and careers than their peers who serve similar student
populations. Our ongoing research supports the Framework and adds content and information to each of the core practices below.

The 15 Practices of Higher Performing School Systems
The ACT Core Practice Framework outlines the evidence-based educator practices at each level of a school
system—district, school, and classroom—that will help all students master high standards. The
Framework focuses on five themes:

Theme 1: Curriculum and Academic Goals

District Practice: Provide clear, prioritized learning objectives by grade and subject that all students are
expected to master.

School Practice: Set expectations and goals for teaching and learning based on the district’s written
curriculum.

Classroom Practice: Study and use the district’s written curriculum to plan all instruction.

Theme 2: Staff Selection, Leadership, and Capacity Building

District Practice: Provide strong principals, a talented teacher pool, and layered professional development.

School Practice: Select and develop teachers to ensure high-quality instruction.

Classroom Practice: Collaborate as a primary means for improving instruction.

Theme 3: Instructional Tools: Programs and Strategies

District Practice: Provide evidence- and standards-based instructional tools that support academic rigor
for all students.

School Practice: Promote strategies and build structures and schedules to support academic rigor.

Classroom Practice: Use proven instructional tools to support rigorous learning for students.

Theme 4: Monitoring Performance and Progress

District Practice: Develop and use student assessment and data management systems to monitor
student learning.

School Practice: Monitor teacher performance and student learning.

Classroom Practice: Analyze and discuss student performance data.

Theme 5: Intervention and Adjustment

District Practice: Respond to data through targeted interventions or curricular/instructional adjustments.

School Practice: Use targeted interventions to address learning needs of teachers and students.

Classroom Practice: Use targeted interventions or adjustments to address learning needs of students.

Another layer behind the Framework, the Critical Actions, provides additional support for educators by outlining how to successfully implement the key components of each core practice.

The Core Practice Framework

Reading from bottom to top, the path to
readiness begins with the ACT College Readiness Standards, Common
Core State Standards, and district learning
objectives. Applying the 15 core practices
of teaching and learning leads to high-quality
instruction, which in turn creates
the opportunity for all students to reach
the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
and to be ready for college.